Maryland football is back on the field after a coronavirus outbreak, but challenges remain

“It’s business as usual,” Locksley said Tuesday during a virtual news conference. “The difference is that I’m just not at the office physically.”

The Terps paused practices nearly two weeks ago after positive results began to emerge from daily testing, but they have finally returned to preparation that resembles a typical game week despite the absences of players and staffers. Locksley has to be isolated for 10 days, compared with the required 21-day wait before players can return to play, so he will be available to coach against the No. 12 Hoosiers. Until then, he’ll watch practice on a live stream and attend meetings through Zoom.

It’s a familiar setup. That’s how the program operated for months after sports halted in March. Locksley meets with the staff virtually every morning. He sets the practice plan. The coaches develop a game plan together. They convene again after practice. Locksley met with the offensive players as usual Monday. He did the same with the defense Tuesday afternoon. The weekly schedule hasn’t changed, and the program prepared for these circumstances.

Chad Wells, the team’s video coordinator, had developed a contingency plan for a situation that prompted the need for a live stream. Drew Hampton, the director of equipment operations, has his phone at practice and can relay messages from Locksley. Plus, three members of Maryland’s staff — offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery, wide receivers coach Joker Phillips and analyst Ron Zook — have head coaching experience.

More than a dozen head football coaches, including Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst and Purdue’s Jeff Brohm, have contracted the virus, as programs throughout the country deal with outbreaks and navigate disrupted schedules.

“With all the pauses and the starts and stops that we’ve had, they’ve continued to be resilient in their efforts,” Locksley said of his players. “To see those guys show back up yesterday with the right kind of mind-set and attitude going into to a great opportunity against Indiana shows that we’re making steps and progress as a program”

After Maryland shut down practices two weeks ago and canceled its game against Ohio State, the players moved into a hotel for four nights. The team continued to meet virtually and in person, but the players could not partake in organized physical activity until this past weekend. Brian Cobbs, a junior wide receiver, said the most frustrating part of the extended break was feeling cooped up as opposed to running routes and working out. Cobbs settled on doing lots of push-ups and core exercises on the floor of his room.

“Some of the guys were running back and forth through the hallways, doing what they could to keep their legs fresh and keep their lungs fresh,” Cobbs said. “Guys were finding different creative ways to do things. It was one of the more exciting things to see — just the fact that guys weren’t getting down and giving up all the preparation that they put in to get to this point.”

Once workouts resumed, “running kind of felt foreign,” Cobbs said, “so getting back into the swing of things feels really good.”

Maryland (2-1) played well before the outbreak, beating Minnesota in overtime and knocking off Penn State with a dominant win on the road. But the Terps will be missing players at Indiana, given the 21-day return timeline for any athlete who tests positive. Locksley would not say who or how many of his players won’t be available.

The Terps already have a young group, with a roster lopsided in favor of freshmen and sophomores. For months, Locksley has emphasized that playing during a pandemic could require the staff to reach further down the depth chart. But perhaps, Locksley hopes, those new faces won’t let the oddity of the situation occupy their thoughts. They’ll instead be eager to have returned to practice and then on Saturday to be back in a game environment for the first time in weeks.

“A young team that’s inexperienced pops up and they show you that maybe you don’t need to practice 14 times to be able to go play at a high level,” Locksley said. “Maybe they’re just young enough to know that: ‘Hey, we’re going to play with the energy. We’re going to play with the effort, and that makes up for maybe some of the lack of preparation we’ve had.’ ”